An ancient Egyptian battle map of a desert tomb. Inside, virtual tabletop files for Roll20 and PDFs for printing. Beware the buried pharaoh….
The hot breath of the desert has patiently eroded the dunes to revealed a sundered stone ceiling. Only the bravest of adventurers would dare lower themselves into the long-forgotten tomb exposed within… And as their eyes slowly adjust to the cool darkness, what will they find?
Conveniently, we created a mummy token in our last release! You can find that in the Halloween Monster Tokens post. He might be accompanied by the skeletons and zombies also in that pack, or some snakes of that small-and-many or few-and-huge varieties.
What encounter is your imagination cooking up right now? I’m dying to know, so please share it in the comments! Even if it is just a seed of a thought, together I hope we can crowd-source something amazing. 🙂
This is our clever (a happy accident) transition from spooky October maps to our November theme, which is going to be (predominantly) hot and sandy. You’ll hear more from me soon enough, so I’ll see you then!
High resolution downloads available at the bottom of the post!
Journals of Lord Bernard Islington-Wellerby
Chapter 16.
Investigation of the Desert Tomb of Emperor Ak’fallur
Day 3
Today marks our arrival at the tomb’s rumored location.
This desert is an unwelcoming place. No mere travelers or adventurers would survive here. Its sands have swallowed all, from thieves to kingdoms, and the raging sun seeks to drain any moisture from our bodies. Three were lost on the way here.
Fortunately, I find myself empowered by the previous trip to Pyrrhis and encounter with Karturgg. I am elevated beyond the greatness I already held, and my prosthesis grants me strength superior to my comrades. This desert is nothing compared to me.
Day 4
The tomb’s entrance continues to elude us. Likely feeling frustration over the situation, one of my guides did manage to create his own opening. I commiserate the loss of his legs in doing so. They seem to have been severed in the fall. Alas, explorers must all make sacrifices and the collapsed roof will allow us access to the underground chamber.
I think I will spend the night tending to his frustrated delirium. I’m sure my leadership can help guide him through this troubling time. If not, I must convince him to be more considerate. We might be here another week and his screams are upsetting the others.
Day 5
Once again, I must combat the fears of asinine ‘legends’. My guides have spent the better part of the day arguing against entering the tomb. They cite stories in their own tongue, speaking of ancient ‘evils’. I countered with retellings of my own triumphs over temples and tombs. Needless to say, they were left speechless.
Their state of mind was not aided by our injured fellow’s outburst. It seems that his mental fortitude did not match my own. A pity. Though, to give credit, tackling two other men down the hole was impressive for a man with no legs.
We will continue our breach into the unknown tomorrow!
Day 6
There is little progress to report today. The two men I sent down have not even accomplished a return trip, though we do hear echoes of their continued movement. At least they’re not screaming anymore.
I will personally enter the tomb tomorrow with the last of my companions. He is already shaking with anticipation of the riches we might find!
Day 7
This central chamber is incredible! The architecture is astoundingly beautiful and clearing away some of the blood has revealed intricate inscriptions. The runes cover the walls and ceiling, though they are currently inert. My guides’ clumsy entrance disturbed the markings on the roof, so I cannot ascertain the meaning.
I was able to translate words to roughly mean ‘no entry’, or perhaps ‘lock’. My deduction is that they warn of traps, something that my compatriots did not heed. One appears to have lost his left arm. The other somehow managed to sacrifice his entire torso, leaving only limbs and a head.
I will have my remaining partner notify their families upon our return. For now, he is investigating the connected burial chamber while I write.
Day 8
I had the strangest dream. I was in my tent when I heard something approach. It was my partner, who simply watched me. It seemed that he was missing his own right arm, mirroring my own previous injury.
I believe this to be a sign of his potential to learn under my guidance. I will present this idea to him once he returns. For now, the quiet is surprisingly relaxing.
Day 10
He did not return.
Venturing down did lead me to his remains, though decisive identification is difficult due to the absence of his head. I will make an effort to locate his family back in town. They should find comfort in knowing that he managed to open the sealed door.
The inner sanctum is filled with gold, though no royal corpse. I did tell them that their ‘undying emperor’ was a myth. Being right about these things, and yet ignored, is beginning to grate on me.
Still, the riches are a welcome addition to my own.
– by Troy McConnell
More content by Troy
Download the Desert Tomb here
You can check out with the Desert Tomb below for free, and we will send the files to your email address for download. If you’d like to support us, please do check out our Patreon!
-
Crumbling Desert TombPWYW: $1 or FREE $1.00
-
Desert OasisPWYW: $1 or FREE $1.00
-
Desert RuinsPWYW: $1 or FREE $1.00
Check out our complete gallery of maps & assets here →
For exclusive map variants and even the PSD files, consider joining the amazing community that makes these maps possible:
The Desert Tomb battle maps are free to download thanks to Patrons such as:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, thanks to our generous supporters. If you would like to use this map commercially, please contact me 🙂